Centre to launch 'One District, One product' scheme in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: To provide market link to farmers and make small industries successful in the state, Union Minister Giriraj Singh today said 'One District One Product' scheme will soon be launched in Odisha.

Singh, the Union Minister of State for MSME said this while participating at the inaugural function of the SC-ST State Conclave cum Exhibition under National SC-ST Hub and inauguration of NSICs Dharmapada Bhawan here.

He asked the Union MSME secretary Arun Panda to conduct a survey of districts in Odisha on the potentials of starting new MSME units in aromatic, agro, marine food processing, organic food marketing, turmeric and ginger processing and other section.

Singh said farmers of Kandhamal district will be taken to Maharashtra for a field visit to witness agro clusters in that state and 50,000 agro entrepreneurs will be imparted training in Odisha.

The Union Minister said the Centre has a plan to make 18 lakh new youth entrepreneurs in the coming days. He said mobile vans will be moving in rural areas of the state to provide basic skill training by the Ministry of MSME.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan while addressing the meeting said that National SC-ST hub launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become a mass movement in MSME sector.

This initiative is a unique programme of grooming the SC-ST entrepreneurs who can create job opportunities for hundreds of youths.

The Micro, Small and Medium enterprise sector has been recognized globally as a major contributor to GDP and stimulator for economic growth. There have been continuous efforts to include all relevant stakeholders including states, industry associations, incubators, banks, CPSEs to identify synergies and work collaboratively and cohesively towards a shared goal, Pradhan said.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister, Jual Oram said that the MoU signed between NSIC and SAP would provide designed module to SC-ST entrepreneurs through advanced software. He advised young entrepreneurs to start new ventures to sell minor forest produces and organic agri products available in tribal dominated districts.